Fluoroalcohols have high solubility in water. When water is accidentally introduced into the fluoroalcohol or water is formed during the production process of the fluoroalcohols, water and fluoroalcohols are mixed together and thus difficult to separate water from the fluoroalcohols. In addition, since the fluoroalcohols have higher coefficient of global warming than carbon dioxide, it is desirable that the alcohols are recovered after use and recycled. The fluoroalcohols, however, are highly hygroscopic and absorb moisture in the air when handled or left in the open system. Therefore, water is likely to enter into fluoroalcohols by the time it is recycled. When the fluoroalcohols are used as solvents to dissolve dyes for producing information recording media such as CD-R and DVD-R, wherein recording layers capable of writing and/or reading are provided on their substrate by means of a laser, the water contained therein may cause deterioration and impaired solubility of the dyes, leading to degraded quality of the information recording media. Consequently, when the fluoroalcohols contain water, particularly when the fluoroalcohols are recycled, the alcohols have to be purified to a level substantially free of water.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for recovering a fluoroalcohol which is substantially free of water by separating water from a mixture comprising a fluoroalcohol and water.